Total Turkey Tour

Day 1 - Istanbul

Hosgeldiniz! Welcome to Turkey! Today you will be picked up by our airport representative at Istanbul Airport and relax at your starting hotel. Rest of the day is at your leisure.

Overnight at the Dosso Dossi Old City Hotel or similar

Day 2 – Istanbul

Today, you will go for a private tour of Istanbul with your private guide. You will be visiting Basilica Cistern, Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace and Grand Bazaar. Discover the old city and the highlights of Istanbul.

Overnight at the Dosso Dossi Old City Hotel or similar (B)

Day 3 - Istanbul

After breakfast, walk down the hill from your hotel to the waterfront in the old city. Start your day with a visit to Spice Market, centre of local herbs, spices, and coffee in Istanbul. Next, pay a visit to Rustem Pasha Mosque, where you will see the original tile pieces from 15th century. After your tour in the mosque, you will take the local tram for your next visit, Dolmabahce Palace. The area where Dolmabahçe Palace is located was originally a bay that had served as a natural harbour since antiquity. It is thought to be from here that Sultan Mehmed II (The Conqueror) had his ships hauled over a wooden ramp to launch them into the Golden Horn. The Ottoman naval fleet used to anchor in the bay and naval ceremonies were held here. The bay was filled in from the 17th century onwards, and so given the name “Dolmabahçe” (filled garden) and was used as an Imperial Garden. All the buildings in the complex prior to the 19th century were named “Beşiktaş Waterfront Palace”.

Take the tram back to the old city and enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.

Overnight at the Dosso Dossi Old City Hotel or similar (B)

Day 4 – Cappadocia

We will drive to the airport this morning to catch a two-hour flight to Kayseri airport. (For those on a private tour, ask about our overnight train option for this section).  You will be picked up from Kayseri airport and then continue with the drive to Cappadocia. After checking in you will take an orientation walk in the village of Göreme. In the late afternoon, you will be hosted in the village for a local meal. You will learn new local cooking techniques which will be demonstrated by our hosts.

Overnight at the Heybe Hotel or similar (BD)

Day 5 - Cappadocia

Enjoy a full day guided tour in the South of Cappadocia. Visit Esentepe Panaromic spot, Open-Air Museum, Monk’s Valley, Dervent Valley and see a pottery demonstration.

Overnight at the Heybe Hotel or similar (BL)

Day 6 - Cappadocia

Discover beautiful Cappadocia as we explore Northern Cappadocia today. You will be visiting Meskendir valley, Rose and Red Valley, village of Çavuşin, Özkonak underground city, Pigeon valley, Uchisar Castle and Love Valley.

Overnight at the Heybe Hotel or similar (BL)

Day 7 - Konya

Head to Konya this morning, which will take around 2.5 hours. The city is closely linked with the whirling dervish sect of Islam developed by Celaleddin Rumi – one of Islam's greatest Sufi mystics. Mevlana – ‘our master’ – as he came to be known, believed that music and dance could induce a state of love and divine union, and so devised the whirling sema ritual. In town, you can visit the original Tekke of Mevlana, which holds many relics and is also the final resting place for Rumi. Also, get your bearings on an orientation walk to Aladdin Hill in Konya’s centre. On the side of the hill are the sheltered remains of the palace of the Seljuk Sultans of Rum, while beneath the Alaettin Mosque are artefacts dating back to the Stone Age. Enjoy your dinner in a local restaurant this evening.

Overnight at the Bayır Diamond Hotel or similar (BD)

Day 8 - Antalya

It is a journey of about 4 hours to the jewel in the Turkish Mediterranean – Antalya. It’s hard to get a bad photo of Antalya thanks to cobblestone streets framed by the marina on one side and the Taurus Mountains on the other. Before checking in to the rooms, we will stop at a local garden and cafeteria for lunch. Later on we will visit Aspendos ancient theatre, and then the Perge Ancient site.

Overnight at the Aspen Hotel or similar (BL)

Day 9 - Antalya

Your tour guide will introduce you to the delights of the Old City with an orientation walk along its cobblestone streets. Visit the clock tower, Hadrian’s gate and the old Roman Harbour and Antalya Museum. We then venture to the historical zone of Kaleici – an area within Antalya’s historic centre that’s protected from modern development, and home to relics of Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk, and Ottoman occupation. Afterwards, feel free to swim, relax and enjoy stellar views overlooking the crystal blue Mediterranean.

Overnight at the Aspen Hotel or similar (B)

Day 10 - Pamukkale

Today’s bus ride brings you to one of Turkey's most photographed sites – Pamukkale – which literally translates as ‘cotton castle’. Here, natural hot springs with a high calcium content cascade over the edge of the cliffs, leaving the earth bright white; hence the ‘cotton’. Though you won't be able to bathe in these travertines, you can wade through them and the pools are said to have many healing properties. Take some time to visit the nearby ancient city of Hierapolis and have a dip in what used to be Cleopatra’s old pool. You can also check out the other ruins of the city – Hierapolis is known for its abundance of temples and religious structures, vast necropolis, amphitheatre and strange tombs.

Overnight at the Melrose House Hotel or similar (B)

Day 11 - Izmir

On the way to Izmir today, we will stop at a local vinery for a wine tasting session. The vineyards are at an altitude of 924m above sea level and combined with the unique climate of the location, is suitable for growing grapes for wine production. After arriving in Izmir, there is some free time before we then hit the streets. Your tour guide will take you for a street food tour in the Kordon neighbourhood and you will get to taste a variety of local Aegean Cuisine.

Overnight at Otel Marla or similar (BD)

Day 12 - Izmir - Ephesus

After breakfast this morning we will drive to Ephesus, one of the best-preserved Greco-Roman classical cities in the world. Once the capital city of Roman Asia Minor, the city has a fascinating history, which really comes alive with a local guide to enhance your experience. Considering their age, the ruins are in incredible shape, and it’s not difficult to imagine them in their full glory over 2000 years ago, equipped with running water, public toilets, a medical institute, a brothel and Roman baths. The theatre is well preserved and regularly hosts concerts, but it's perhaps the magnificent library that is the most striking. We will stop for lunch at a family-run restaurant, where you’ll feast on gozleme made fresh before your eyes. In the afternoon, drive out to the nearby picturesque village of Sirince and taste some locally produced fruit wines. This authentic Greek Ottoman village seems to have been overlooked by modern development and the unique local architecture nestled in the hills make for a photographer's dream.

Overnight at Otel Marla or similar (BL)

Day 13 - Çanakkale

Today, you will visit the ancient site of Pergamon. Many remains of its monuments can still be seen and especially the masterpiece of the Pergamon Altar. Pergamon was the northernmost of the seven churches of Asia cited in the New Testament Book of Revelation. Next, we stop in Bergama and enjoy your local lunch.  We then pay a visit to Troy. Troy is one of the most famous ancient cities in the world. The 9 layers of Troy show more than 3000 years of uninterrupted time and allow us to follow the civilizations that have settled in this unique geography where Anatolia, the Aegean and the Balkans meet. The earliest settlement in Troy is dated back to 3000B.C. and the levels of Troy which were permanently inhabited end with the Roman period dates back to 85 B.C and 8 A.D.

Troy has always played an important role in terms of commercial and cultural connections with other regions due to its geographical location. Troy also serves as a reference for the uninterrupted stratification of archaeological sites in Europe and the Aegean. First, started by Heinrich Schliemann in 1871, then continued by Wilhelm Dörpfeld and Carl William Blegen, excavations are still ongoing in this magnificent archaeological city. We arrive in Çanakkale in the late afternoon.

Overnight at the Hotel Cura or similar (BL)

Day 14 - Istanbul

Today you’ll cross the Dardanelles and head to the Gallipoli Peninsula, a place of enormous significance to Australians and New Zealanders. Turkey's most westerly point may feel serene; however, this coastal point was once a major backdrop of the Great War. Visit the beach and cemeteries of Anzac Cove, then head up the hill to pay homage at the Lone Pine and Chunuk Bair memorials. From the Ataturk Memorial you can look down on the blue waters of the Dardanelles and see them in a more sombre light. You will also find the remnants of trenches used by the Turkish soldiers around this area. After touring the former battlefields, head back to Istanbul where your journey began, arriving late afternoon. Your tour guide will take you to a nice restaurant for a farewell dinner.

Overnight at the Dosso Dossi Old City Hotel or similar (BD)

Day 15 – The end of the Total Turkey Small Group Tour

At a suitable time, we will drive to the airport.